Blog #3    The Conversation: Why do we talk to our patients?

So often in medicine and dentistry, clinicians are in a hurry to stay on time and get to the next procedure. At VieSID, our students learn to slow down and develop relationships with their patients. In this way, a dialogue develops which creates an environment where we:

1. Learn what the patients’ desires are

2. Explore the symptoms that have motivated the patient to seek assistance

3. Take notes on the history of any conditions or past treatment

4. Mentally develop a framework for matching our patients’ needs to their wants

All of our conversations at this stage involve open-ended questions. For example, we would ask, “Tell me more about this?” or “When do you experience this?” etc.

Our mentor, Professor Dr. Rudolph Slavicek developed a 10 point questionnaire that provides an excellent overview of a presenting patient’s dysfunction.  Called the Occlusal Index, this important step in diagnosis gives us objective values that help us better understand our patient. It is an excellent way for us to begin to develop a relationship and explore the challenges that may affect our treatment planning .

It is remarkable how much our patients can tell us about what they feel is going on if we truly listen during this conversation.  Difficulties in swallowing, mastication and speech may indicate dysfunction that must be addressed by our therapies.  Teeth that are wearing, esthetic concerns, temporomandibular dysfunction, and other key pieces of information are best known at this stage. Comments about “my teeth don’t fit together well” and other symptoms such as headaches are key.

VieSID is dedicated to personalizing dentistry to ensure maximum effectiveness of our therapies. Longevity of our interventions is a core tenant of our teachings.  In Dr. David Sackett’s original writings about Evidenced Based Medicine (EBM) he noted that we must use our best clinical judgement, the available scientific research and we must consider our  patient’s desires in the development of our treatment regimes.  As dentistry and medicine move to a model emphasizing precision and personalization of our care, VieSID’s teachings in the area of Occlusal Medicine will lead you to a successful career in dentistry.  

VieSID Educational programs are taught worldwide in 19 different centres including Canada.  Our signature hands-on program, The VieSID Canada “Mini-Residency”, is a fifteen-day curriculum taught in three modules of five days.  A maximum of 12 students are accepted at a time to ensure an excellent learning environment.  For more information, please see www.viesidcanada.com.